Textile printing machine



May 11, 1937. w. T. JENKINS TEXTILE PR INTING MACHINE Filed May 26, 1936b R an R Q k0 m R. R.

m-wk M5 a 1 .lllllllllllllnlll I I l l l I ll g a (Q Q Q R mw R RPatented May 11, 1937 PATENT OFFICE 2,080,133 TEXTILE rnm'rmc. m'cnmr:

Walter '1. Jenkins, Rock Hill,

S. 0., assignor to Rock Hill Printing & Finishing Company, Rock Hill, S.C., a corporation of South Carolina Application May 26, 1936, Serial No.81,819

6 Claims.

This invention relates to textile printing machines.

It is customary in cloth or web printing machines to use a back grey orback cloth in back of the cloth being printed. The back grey serves as-a cushion and also somewhat in the nature of a blotter to take upexcess ink .or coloring material which passes through the white cloth orweb being printed. In cloth printing machines now in common use the backgrey during the printing operation picks up color and is then dried atthe printing machine and it is run through the machine again picking upfurther color which is also dried in.

After running the back grey through the machine in this manner two orthree times it is necessary to take it to the back grey washer anddrier, a separate machine, to remove as much color as possible. Aftersuch repeated absorption and drying it is difiicult to wash out thecolor and get the back grey clean and in condition for further use.Furthermore, the removal of a back grey for washing and cleaning and thereplacement thereof with a clean back grey necessitates a slowing downor interruption of the normal operation of the printing machine, thusmaterially reducing or curtailing the production of the machine.

Moreover, the clean back grey is sewed to the used back grey and is thuslead through the printing machine, thus forming a seam which causesdouble edges and mark-offs, producing a poor print on the web beingprinted.

In the past, attempts have been made to overcome the dimculties abovenoted by the elimination of the back grey and the substitution'thereforof an endless blanket formed of elastic, nonabsorptive material, such asrubber or a rubber composition. In some instances the rubber blanket hasbeen run through a washer and the ink or color on the surface of theblanket has been removed. Such blankets, however, have not beensatisfactory as substitutes for the back greys since it is necessary fora sharp well defined print on the cloth to provide for the absorption ofexcess ink or color that permeates and passes through the cloth webbeing printed. Moreover, rubber blankets of the size and length requiredare expensive and are easily injured and broken or torn.

This invention has for its salient object to provide a method of andapparatus for washing and drying back greys in a cloth printing machineso constructed and arranged and so carried out that the back grey willbe washed, rinsed and dried before the color has dried in and after eachprinting operation, thus keeping the cloth clean and increasing the lifeof the back grey.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the followingspecification taken in connection with the drawing which form a part ofthis application, and in which Fig. 1 is an elevational diagrammaticview illustrating apparatus constructed in accordance with theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view also diagrammatic of the structure shown inFig. l.

The invention briefly described consists of a cloth printing machinehaving means for guiding a back grey and cloth web to be printed arounda cylinder and between the cylinder and printing rolls and furthermore,comprises washing, rinsing and drying apparatus and means for leadingthe back grey from the printing mechanism successively through thewasher, rinsing, water removing means and drying means and back to theprinting mechanism and to a position in backing relation to the webbeing printed. The back grey is in the form of an endless web of clothand the driving mechanism for the back grey withdrawing means and forthe printing mechanism are so coordinated that the web will be withdrawnat the same rate as it passes around the cylinder and through theprinting mechanism.

Further details of the invention will appear from the followingdescription.

In the particular embodiment of the apparatus shown in the drawing,there is illustrated a machine comprising printing mechanism consistingof a cylinder l0 and printing rolls H disposed around the periphery ofthe cylinder 10 and operating in the usual well known manner to print aplurality of colors or designs on the cloth web which passes between therolls and the cylinder.

The white cloth or web 12 to be printed is carried in a supply roll l3and is led around suitable guide rolls H to the printing mechanism.After being printed the web 12 is led upwardly to drying cans andsuitable reels on which it is wound up.

The back grey in the form of an endless web 20 is led around thecylinder in and between the cylinder and the white cloth or web 12 beingprinted. From the cylinder the back grey passes upwardly around a roller2| and over ,a guide roller 22, beneath rollers 23 and 24 and around aroller 25 and between this roller and a roller 26 and thence downwardlyto a cloth scray 21. The

roller 25 is termed in the art a nip" roller and 25 and 26, the speed ofrotation of these rollers being synchronized with the speed of operationof the printing mechanism in a manner hereinafter described in order towithdraw the web from the printing mechanism at the same rate as therate at which it is fed around the cylinder I 0.

The slack collects in the scray 21 and is withdrawn therefrom passingaround tension bars 30 and 3| and thence upwardly around a roller 32 andthrough guide rollers 33 and 34 to a washer 35.

The washer 35 contains hot water and soap for washing the coloringmatter from the web and the material passes successively around guiderolls 36, 31, 38, 39 and 40 and thence through squeeze rolls 4| and 42which are positively driven and squeeze the soapy water from the web.

From the squeeze rolls 4! and 42 the web passes downwardly to a rinsingtank 45 and is led through this tank around guide rolls l5 and out ofthe tank, and through another set of squeeze rolls 41 and 48 which arealso positively driven.

From the squeeze rolls 41 and 48 the web passes beneath a guide roller43 over a suction extractor 55 and thence through an expander 5| whichstretches the cloth laterally to its full width. From the expander 5ithe web passes around drying cans 52 and, if desired, around a secondset of drying cans 53 from which it is led around guide rollers 54 and55 and back to the printing mechanism.

Any suitable driving mechanism may be employed but it should be borne inmind that the feed rolls which withdraw the endless back grey web fromthe printing mechanism should be driven at the same speed as theprinting mechanism or, in other words, that these two drives should besynchronized.

Fig. 2 illustrates diagrammatically one form of driving connections. Inthis figure the main drive shaft is shown at and the printing cylinderis driven from this shaft. by means of a sprocket 5!, chain 52 andsprocket 53 mounted on the shaft of the cylinder l0.

A second sprocket 64 is also carried by. the shaft 60 and is connectedby a chain 55 to drive a sprocket 65 mounted on a shaft 61. This shafthas a second sprocket 58 mounted thereon which is connected by a chain89 to drive a sprocket 10 on a shaft 1i. Shaft 1! has also securedthereto a sprocket 12 which operates through a chain 13 to drive asprocket 13 carried by-a shaft 15. The shaft 15 drives the drying cansor cylinders in any suitable manner and both sets of drying cans aredriven from this shaft.

A variable speed driving mechanism 80, such as a Reeves drive, isprovided for driving the other driven parts of the apparatus, thismechanism being driven in any suitable manner and from any suitablesource of power. The drive for the feed rollers 25 and'23 is taken froma shaft 8! of the variable speed drive which is connected by a belt 82to drive a shaft 83. Shaft 83 is in turn connected by a belt 84 to drivethe shaft 85 of the nip roller 25.

A shaft of the variable speed mechanism so is connected by a belt 3! todrive a shaft 92 of a second variable speed mechanism or transmission93. This mechanism drives a shaft 34 which is connected by a chain 95 todrive shaft 96 of the feed roll 41;

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the back grey inthe form of an endless web is led continuously from the printingmechanism through the washing, rinsing and drying mechanisms and thenceback to the printing mechanism and in this manner the color absorbed asthe back grey passes beneath the printing rolls is washed out withoutbeing permitted to dry in. Thus, a. clean back grey is always in .useduring the printing operation which results in a printed web on whichthe designs are clearly defined and sharply brought out, the web havingno blurred or smeared prints thereon, such as result from dirty backgreys or from the use of a rubber blanket in the place of a back grey.It will be understood, of course, that the back grey may be backed up bya rubber blanket in the usual well known manner, as shown at B in Fig.1.

Although one specific form of apparatus has been particularly shown anddescribed it will be understood that changes in the construction and inthe arrangement of the various parts and in the particular method orprocess outlined may be made without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. The process of printing cloth which consists of leading the web to beprinted and a back grey of absorbent textile material under printingrolls and continuously leading the back gray from the printing rollsthrough washing means, rinsing means and drying means and again intobacking engagement with the web being printed.

2. In combination, a cloth printing machine comprising printing rolls, acylinder, means for leading a cloth web to be printed and a back grey ofabsorbent textile material beneath said rolls, washing means for saidback grey, drying means for said back grey and means for continuouslyleading the back grey from the printing mechanism through the washingmeans, from the washing means through the drying means and from thedrying means to a position behind the cloth web and to the printingrolls.

3. In combination, a cloth printing machine comprising printingmechanism for printing a cloth web, means for leading a cloth web to beprinted to and through the printing mechanism, means for leading anendless web of back grey cloth through the printing mechanism in back ofthe web being printed, means for withdrawing the back grey web from theprinting mechanism, washing mechanism, drying mechanism. and means forleading the endless back grey from the withdrawing means through thewashing and drying mechanisms and back to the printing mechanism.

4. In combination, a cloth printing machine comprising printingmechanism for printing a cloth web, means for driving the printingmechanism, means for leading a cloth web to be printed to and throughthe printing mechanism, means for leading an endless web of back greycloth through the printing mechanism in back of the web being printed,means for withdrawing the back grey web from the printing mechanism,variable speed means for driving the withdrawing means whereby the speedof the latter can be synchronized with the speed of the printingmechanism, washing mechanism, drying mechanism, and means for leadingthe endless back grey from the withdrawing means through the washing anddrying mechanisms and back to the printing mechanism. a

5. In combination, a cloth printing machine comprising printingmechanism for printing a cloth web, means for leading a cloth web to beprinted to and through the printing mechanism, means for leading anendless web of back grey cloth through the printing mechanism in back ofthe web being printed, means for withdrawing the back grey web from theprinting mechanism, washing mechanism including washing means andrinsing means, squeeze rolls intermediate the washing and rinsing meansfor removing water from the web, drying mechanism, means intermediatethe rinsing and drying means for removing water! from the web, and

means for leading the endless back grey from the withdrawing meansthrough the washing and drying mechanisms and back to the printingmechanism.

6. In combination, a cloth printing machine comprising printingmechanism for printing a cloth web, means for leading a cloth web to beprinted to and through the printing mechanism, means for leading anendless web of back grey cloth through the printing mechanism in back ofthe web being printed, means for withdrawing the back grey web from theprinting mechanism, a receptacle for receiving the back grey cloth fromthe withdrawing means. washing mechanism, drying mechanism, and meansfor leading the back grey web from the receptacle through the washingand drying mechanisms and back to the printing mechanism.

WALTER 'r. annxms.

